By Elesha Edmonds
Neighbourly Community Engagement Manager

Neighbourly -- a kiwi-made social media website -- has had a lot to celebrate. Soon after celebrating its 3rd birthday the Neighbourly team was brimming with excitement as the site reached 500,000 members across New Zealand.

These days you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t used the site to sell a sofa, find their lost pet or get a great gardener. But there’s much more to Neighbourly than what you might have heard your neighbour raving about.

Above pic: The Auckland team. 

Random Acts of Kindness reigns supreme

Every day Neighbourly members help each other out and show incredible acts of kindness. Sometimes it’s as simple as tracking down the owner of a lost parcel; other times it’s individuals organising collections for families in need. From sharing knowledgeable local advice to spreading the word about others less fortunate, Neighbourly helps bring out the good in people.

In September, Neighbourly saved the day for national cyclocross champion Kim Hurst, whose bike was stolen a week before she was due to fly to the United States for a series of races, including two world cup events. Thanks to some helpful detective work from her Neighbourly community -- one member had spotted a person riding the bike through Silverstream and quickly posted a picture of it on Neighbourly -- Hurst's bike was back to her that afternoon.

Family Notices

We have recently released a new section of Neighbourly -- a place to remember and celebrate the lives of those in our community who are no longer with us. Death Notices are some of the most read sections of New Zealand newspapers and we're proud to be working with Fairfax Media to making these even more accessible for New Zealanders. We will be releasing more features on this special section of our site over coming weeks and months.

Take a nosy around Riccarton -- or Rotorua

Our new public notices section gives you a glimpse into the goings-on in neighbourhoods all around the country. It’s a great way to learn a bit more about a suburb you’re about to visit or get to know the town your in-laws are about to move to.

Is it Urgent? Send an Alert

Urgent Alerts are SMS text messages or emails for rare situations when crime and/or safety is a concern and your community needs to be notified quickly. Examples of these include extreme weather warnings, natural disasters, missing persons or a dangerous situation within your community. Neighbourly allows you to reach your neighbours quick-smart in an emergency.

When the Port Hills Fires began threatening homes, the Council sent out evacuation messages via Neighbourly to locals with information of where to go for help and how to keep safe in the emergency.

Riccarton is a fast-growing Neighbourly suburb and is part of one of the most active Neighbourly cities, Christchurch. With nearly 49,000 residents in Christchurch city using the site, you’re sure to find what you are after and ensure you don’t miss the goings on in your community.

If you're not a member, you can sign up for free at https://www.neighbourly.co.nz/